Moving forward
by Lacey99
Summary: The story is set in 2011. There are some changes for the family.
1. Chapter 1

Florida, May 2011

Harm heard laughter coming from the back yard as he parked his car and got out. He found his Mom and three very excited kids when he entered the garden, making him smile widely. Almost five-year-old Matthew came running to meet him and he crouched down and hugged him.

"How was your day?"

"Great. We've been in the pool and I'm a really good swimmer, Dad," Matthew said with excitement.

"That's great, buddy," Harm said as he stood. He greeted Claire and Nathan too, before he looked around for his wife.

"Is the Colonel running late?" he asked his Mom.

"She was home an hour ago. She's taking a walk," Trish said and smiled. "Why don't you go meet her, tell her dinner will be ready soon."

"Yeah, I need to talk to her about something," Harm said thoughtfully.

"Does this have something to do with her new orders?" Trish asked with a clever smile.

"She got new orders? Let me guess, Headquarters Virginia?" Harm said proudly. "They want me as Deputy Judge Advocate. I get my second star."

Trish hugged her son. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Mom," Harm said and smiled. "I better go find her." He hurried inside to change before he walked down the trail towards the beach.

There were several people at the beach, but he'd pick her out in any crowd. He smiled widely as he watched her walk towards where he stood. She was so beautiful, and she was all his. Six years of marriage and she still made his heart beat faster every time he saw her.

He lifted his hand and waved and watched as her face lit up when she noticed him. He hurried to walk over to her. "Hey beautiful," he said and gathered her in his arms.

She leaned in and kissed him softly. "Hey Rear Admiral Harmon Rabb Junior."

He smiled proudly. "Are you ready for another star?"

"I think I can handle it," she said teasingly and kissed him again. "I'm really proud of you."

"I didn't think they'd actually pick my name on that list," he took her hand and started walking. "We better go home and tell the kids."

Mac nodded. "I'm not surprised. You've done great work, both here and in London. Sure, many of the other candidates had served in positions at the Pentagon, but your record speaks for itself. And I suspect that your likeability played a big role in the decision, and your media skills. When Admiral Young retires next year, you'll be the Judge Advocate General."

"You don't know that," Harm said and offered an amused look. "Let's just take this one step at a time."

Mac smiled cleverly. "I have some news too."

"Yeah?" Harm questioned.

"I got promoted to full Colonel," she said.

Harm made her stop. "That's great. Why didn't you tell me right away?"

Mac shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"Mac, you've been out for four years, and you still get promoted. That's a big deal. That means that the brass thinks that you're doing a great job on the Judiciary," Harm pulled her close. "I'm really proud of you."

"Thank you," she smiled. "I'm proud of me too."

Harm kissed her softly, then he started walking again. "You know what this means?"

"We have to move again, sell the house, buy a new one," she let out a sigh. "The kids have to leave their friends, start a new school and kindergarten. I talked to Admiral Foley about me staying at my current duty station until the school finishes for the summer. That way the kids will get to finish the schoolyear before they have to relocate."

"That means that I have to move alone," Harm said and looked thoughtful. "But it'll be best for the kids."

Mac nodded. "Yeah, it will be. It'll be hell without you though, but it's the right thing to do."

"It is," Harm agreed.

Three days later

Harm looked in on his sleeping children before he walked over to the master bedroom. He looked through his suitcase before closing it, and made sure his uniform was ready for the next morning when he'd be travelling to Washington D.C.

"All done?"

He turned to the door leading from the master bathroom. Mac was leaning towards the doorframe, her robe open, with bright red underwear on.

Harm smiled. "What do I have to do to make you drop the robe?"

She smiled widely and dropped the robe, before walking over to him. "What do you think?"

He looked her up and down. "I like."

"How about we make this memorable?" she put her arms around his neck.

"I love you," he kissed her deeply. The next month and a half would be hard for him. He hated sleeping without her.

Later they lay in bed entwined. Harm was running his hand softly up and down her back, she was caressing his chest softly. He could feel her breath against his neck, she, his lips against her forehead as he kissed it softly.

"It's going to be hard for me being without you," he wrapped her in a tight embrace.

She ran both hands up his sides and behind his neck, kissing him softly on the lips. "It will be hard for me too. At least I have the kids with me, you'll be all alone."

"I'll just have to keep myself busy looking for our new home, visit Grams, catch up with Bud and Harriet." He started nibbling on her neck. "Ready for round two?"

She smiled. "You recover quickly. Shouldn't you get some sleep?"

"Nah, I'll sleep on the plane." He kissed her deeply.

The next day

It was a sad family saying goodbye at the airport the next day. Harm hugged the kids one last time.

"Okay, promise me that you all will be on your very best behavior," he said and ruffled Matthew's hair.

"Yes, Dad," Nathan said.

"I'm going to miss you, Dad," Claire said and hugged him again.

Harm kissed her head softly. "I'm going to miss you too sweetheart." He released his daughter and turned to his Mom. "Thanks for staying and helping out."

"It's my pleasure," Trish said and hugged him. "Take care of yourself."

"I will," he promised and turned to his wife. "I'll call you when I land."

Mac moved into his embrace. "I love you."

"I love you too," Harm said and kissed her.

Back at the house the kids ran out into the garden to play, while Trish and Mac walked into the house.

"Will you be okay?" Trish asked.

"It's weird splitting up the family like this. The longest we've been apart is a couple of weeks now and then," Mac let out a sigh. "But it'll be fine. I'm glad you're here, Trish."

"Me too," Trish said and smiled warmly. "I'll stay for as long as you need me."

"Careful with what you say," Mac teased.

"Trish laughed. "I mean it though. And you'll need help packing and organizing all your things."

"I'm not looking forward to that," Mac admitted. "It's one thing to pack and relocate on your own, but add three kids into the mess and you got yourself an entirely different situation.

"I can imagine," Trish said as Matthew came running inside. "Can we swim in the pool Mom?"

"Sure, just let me change clothes and I'll be right outside to look after you," Mac said and ruffled his hair. "Once we're in Washington we won't have a pool in the back garden."

Matthew's eyes widened. "Why?"

Mac smiled. "It's a different climate there. It's snow in the winters."

"I like snow," Matthew declared.

"I know you do," Mac said and crouched down to his level. "And we'll be closer to Beallsville, so we can visit Grams on the weekends."

"Mom, I think that I will love the new place we'll live," Matthew said.

"I hope so, honey," Mac kissed his cheek and stood. "I'll just go change now."

"Don't be long," Matthew said as he ran outside again.

"I just hope Nathan and Claire will find their place when we move. They had some difficulties when we first moved here," Mac said thoughtfully.

"I'm sure it'll be alright," Trish reassured.

Later that night Mac lay in bed when Harm called her. She put the book away and hurried to answer.

"Hey handsome."

"Hi beautiful."

"How's it going?"

"Well, the place isn't so bad I guess. It's lonely without you guys though. I'm just getting prepared for tomorrow."

"Are you excited?" she wondered.

"I'm a little nervous to tell the truth," he admitted.

"You'll do great. You've got this. I have faith in you." Mac smiled. "You are exactly what JAG needs."

"I miss you. I wish you were here in bed with me to help me shut my mind off, and to help me sleep."

"Yeah, me too. It's lonely in this big bed without you."

He let out a groan. "I just got an image of you in that read underwear. What are you wearing now?"

"Well honey, I'm wearing one of my old comfy sleep tee's."

"And nothing else?"

She laughed softly. "Nothing."

"You know what I would do if I was there?"

"I can imagine."

"It's not what you think. You exhausted me last night, so I would just pull you close and fall asleep."

"Aww, you're really making me miss you now." She snuggled into bed and pulled his pillow close. "Your pillow smells like you."

"That's not fair, I don't have a pillow smelling of you," he whined.

"Poor baby," she teased.

He yawned. "I better get some shut eye. I miss you and I love you."

"I miss you too. And I love you so much."

"Sweet dreams, baby."

"Sweet dreams."

They hung up and put their phones away before snuggling into their beds.


	2. Chapter 2

Mac stretched lazily in bed. It was time to get up and get the day started. It had been a week since Harm had left and they were slowly getting used to being without him. The kids had been sad the first few days, then they had adapted to the situation. It was worst for Claire, who was a daddy's girl, being used to having one parent wrapped around her finger just by turning on the charm. Harm had a way of spoiling her, by taking her knapsack and carrying it for her, and he'd always sit with her when she did her homework, not because she needed help, but because she wanted time with daddy. Mac was busy at work, with late nights, but thankfully Trish and Frank were there to pick up the slack. Otherwise she wouldn't have managed. Their nanny had some health issues and had been in and out of the hospital for months, and now that they were leaving they didn't bother getting a new one.

"Mom?"

Mac turned towards the bedroom door, where Claire was standing. "Yeah sweetheart."

Claire walked over to the bed and got in. "Can we call daddy?"

Mac smiled and handed her the phone. "Sure."

"Morning beautiful. I just had a dream about you," Harm said suggestively.

"Morning daddy, it's Claire, not mommy," Claire turned to her mom. "Daddy had a dream about you."

"Hey, sweetheart. How are you this morning?" Harm asked, changing his tone of voice.

"Good. I just woke mommy up. Matthew and Nathan are watching cartoons," Claire continued to ramble on about her plans for the day, until she didn't have anything more to say and said goodbye, before handing the phone over to her mom.

"Hi handsome."

"Hi. Are you not up yet?"

She stretched and sat up. "I had a late night last night. You?"

"Well, our daughter woke me up from this amazing dream. It involved you, a blue bikini and a beach."

She laughed softly. "Sounds nice."

"It was," he swung his legs off the side of the bed and stood. "I better get moving."

"Me too. It's going to be another long week."

"Here too. Did you get a chance to check out the listings I emailed you? I have some thoughts about our new house, but you should have your say in it too. Maybe take a few days here to look at houses with me?" he suggested.

"It looks like you have a pretty good idea about what we want, but yeah, we should try and set something up. Uhm… This week and the next week is pretty packed, but maybe the next week after that, I'll talk to your mom about taking the kids for a few days.

"Sounds good to me. I miss you and I love you."

"I love you too, and I miss you. We all do. Talk to you tonight."

"Yes. Have a great day."

"You too. Bye." She put her phone away and let out a sigh. Time to get the day started.

Thursday afternoon

Mac hurried across the grass. She was late for Nathan's soccer match, after being stuck in traffic on her way from work. Trish was with Claire watching her ride, and Frank had taken Matthew fishing after school.

"Colonel, finally. Nathan's been waiting for you," the coach pointed to Nathan on the grass, looking less than happy.

"Traffic," Mac said as she waved at her son. He jumped to his feet and ran over. "You're late."

"Sorry," Mac smiled and hugged him, kissing his head.

"No kissing in public, mom," Nathan complained.

"Sorry, that will never happen again," she promised and ruffled his hair.

"Not that either," he complained.

"Okay," Mac raised her hands in surrender. "So, how's the game going?"

"We're losing," Nathan shrugged. "I haven't played yet."

"Nathan, you're up," the coach yelled.

"I better go," Nathan turned and ran away.

After the match, the coach came up to Mac again. "Nathan doesn't seem quite like himself out there."

"He really doesn't. He doesn't say much, but he worries about the move," Mac admitted. "He's trying to be the man of the house, helping with Matthew and Claire."

"He's at that age," the coach smiled. "He's a good kid, he'll do fine with the move."

"I hope so," Mac smiled. "Thank you."

Nathan ran over. "Let's go home, mom."

When they got in the car, Mac turned on the engine before turning to her son. "So, Nathan, how are you doing? There's a lot going on right now, right?"

Nathan shrugged. "I guess."

"How do you feel about us leaving?" Mac wondered as she turned up the air-condition.

"I don't know," Nathan admitted.

"It's a lot of change, huh?" Mac asked.

Nathan didn't say anything, just stared into the ground.

"You know you can tell me if something is bothering you, right?" Mac reached out and touched his cheek.

He nodded, then turned to her with tears in his eyes. "What if no one likes me?"

"Oh, honey, you'll find friends," she reassured. "You always do. It's one of the things I admire the most about you, your ability to talk to anyone."

Nathan nodded and wiped his eyes. "I miss dad."

"I do too," she hugged him close. "Promise me you'll tell me if you're sad, or if something is bothering you. I know I've been busy, but I will always find the time to listen."

"I know," he smiled.

"I love you," Mac kissed his forehead.

"I love you too," he wiped the place she kissed. "But no kissing."

Mac laughed softly. "Okay, no kissing," she promised.

Later that night

Mac rang her husband for the second time that night, but he didn't pick up. Matthew was almost asleep, so she decided that he would have to talk with his dad the next day instead. She kissed him and told him she loved him, then left his room. She walked across the hall and found Claire waiting on her.

"Sorry, daddy can't talk right now," Mac bent down and kissed her. "Good night."

"Okay. Good night," Claire yawned widely.

"I love you," Mac said and crossed the hallway and into Nathan's room. "Daddy can't talk right now."

Nathan slumped down on the bed. "Okay," he reached for his book. "I wanted to tell him about my day."

"I know you did, but you can talk to him tomorrow, okay?" she hesitated. "So, can I get a hug?"

Nathan smiled. "Yeah, hugs are okay, just not in public."

Mac smiled and hugged him. "You're growing up too fast."

"I'm going to read a little," Nathan got comfortable. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too," Mac smiled and left his room.

It was an hour later when her phone buzzed as she was hanging up a load of freshly washed clothes.

"Harm?"

"Hi beautiful. Sorry, I was in a meeting earlier. I guess the kids are asleep by now."

"They are. Hey Harm, hang on a second," she put her phone down and finished hanging up clothes. "Sorry, I had to hang up some clothes."

"No problem. I'm leaving the office now. Long day. How was your day?"

"Pretty packed. I went to see Nathan play soccer. He's been a little closed off, missing you, worrying about the move. He doesn't want to say anything, just trying to be the man of the house."

"He's okay though?"

Mac could hear the worry in Harm's tone. "Yeah, he's doing good. It's just a lot to get used to I think."

"For all of us. I'll call and talk to the kids tomorrow morning. I better get myself home and get some sleep. I'm beat."

"Me too. I love you, Harm."

"I love you too. See you in my dreams."

"Bye," she hung up and let out a sigh. She was missing him so much.


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks later

Mac smiled as she cleaned up after dinner. It was nice to hear the interaction between Harm and the kids via skype while she tidied the kitchen. They were eagerly telling him about their day, talking in each other's mouths, fighting about who's turn it was to talk.

"And then Timmy pushed me!" Claire said.

"Well, he probably thinks you're cute," Harm said.

"Yuck, boys are stupid," Claire grimaced.

"I think your Mom probably agrees with you," Harm laughed.

Mac chuckled. "I like you."

"That's reassuring," Harm said. "Hey kids, can I speak with your Mom now? I need to get some information about her flight. I have to know when to pick her up at the airport tomorrow."

"It's not fair, I want to see you too," Claire said.

"And you will as soon as school is finished. The apartment I live in is small and there's no room for all of you. Wait until we have a new house. I'm taking Mom to look at them this weekend."

"Okay, bye Daddy."

"Bye Dad," Nathan said too, and they walked away from the computer.

Mac sat down beside Matthew. "I'll be landing around 1725."

"Okay, I can't wait to see you. I forgot that I was invited to Bud's birthday party on Saturday, is that okay?"

Mac smiled. "Of course, it'll be nice seeing them again. When do we look at houses?"

"Friday. We're meeting the realtor at 1100. There's two houses that I really like," he said and looked up when there was a knock on his door. "Sorry, I'm still at work." They heard him talking with his yeoman, then he focused on them again.

"Dad, can we have a pool in the garden?" Matthew asked.

"Sorry, buddy, no pool," Harm said.

"Okay. I'm going to go play now," Matthew said and jumped off the barstool.

Mac smiled. "Working late?"

"I'm going home as soon as I've finished talking with you. You look good, by the way," he said flirtingly. "I can't wait until tomorrow."

"Me neither. Do you have to go to work on Friday?" she wondered.

"No, but I thought I'd take you to see my office," Harm said.

"I'd like that."

"Well, I better go. I'm starving. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too."

The next day

The next day Mac's plane landed just as planned. She was eager to leave the plane and meet her husband. She had no problem picking him out of the crowd. He stood a head taller than the rest, and he was so handsome in his summer whites.

"Hey," he said softly as he leaned in and greeted her with a kiss.

"Finally," she said once the kiss ended. "I missed you so much."

He gathered her in his arms. "I know the feeling."

"Do you want to go out for dinner, or order in?" he wondered as he released her and grabbed her bag.

She took his free hand in hers. "Let's order in."

He smiled. "Yes, ma'am."

They had barely made it inside the apartment when he embraced her and kissed her deeply. It wasn't long before they lay in bed entwined and catching their breath.

"I really needed that," he said as he held her close.

"Me too," she ran her hand up his chest. "I love doing that with you."

He turned to his side and looked at her with a clever smile. "Want to go again?"

"Why don't you feed me first, then we'll go again."

He pretended to think about it. "Fine, I'll feed you." He reached for his phone. "Chinese?"

"That's fine," she said.

Later they enjoyed the food by the counter, while Harm talked about the houses he had been to see.

"I have a feeling that you'll like the one with the basement apartment. The other one I liked is smaller, but very charming though," he explained.

"I'm just glad we won't be looking at houses ever again. This is it. I'm buying a house to live in the rest of my life," she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

"We better make sure it's the perfect one then," he stood to gather the trash.

She smiled as she watched him walk around only clad in his boxers. She was a lucky girl, having such a hunky husband. She stood and walked over to him. "It's been a long time since we walked around half naked."

He turned to her and lifted her up on the counter. "Not to mention how long it's been since we had this much time to ourselves."

She ran her hands down his back. "God you're so handsome. I'm crazy about you."

He kissed her deeply and soon everything else was forgotten.

The next day

The next morning they showered and had a late breakfast, before Harm took Mac to see his office. They stopped by Graves's office to say hello, and Vukovic, now a Lieutenant Commander, also came over to say hello. He was TAD to JAG while he waited for his new assignment.

"Are you behaving, Commander?" Mac asked teasingly.

"I try," Vukovic said with a hesitant smile. "General Creswell had a lot to do with that."

"I can imagine," Mac said as Harm took her hand.

"We better get going," he said.

Mac nodded and said goodbye, before they headed to meet the realtor. Mac was more than excited. She wanted to find the perfect house, and she hoped that Harm had managed to convey to the realtor what they were looking for so that her trip wouldn't be in vain.

"So, are you pleased with your new assignment?" she asked as they drove away from Headquarters.

"I am. It's exciting, a lot of responsibility and bureaucracy, but I'm getting used to that part as well. I think I'm a more involved and hands on leader than my predecessors, but that's what they get when they give a position like that to an officer like me. I've taken some heat about how I lead, as you know."

She smiled cleverly. "Oh, I know."

He laughed softly. "Well, I do refuse to change no matter how many stars they throw at me."

"I think it's exactly why they chose you. JAG needs someone like you to shake things up. We need lawyers who's willing to go the extra mile, and you can inspire them to do that," she said and took his hand.

"I appreciate your fate in me. Your opinion matters," he said and lifted her hand to kiss it.

"I just hope they want what you have to offer. This SecNav doesn't like bad publicity, and you have a way of making your people turn every stone whatever is under it. It's a good quality, but not always a quality that is appreciated."

"And that's why I don't think my name will appear next year when Admiral Young's term as JAG is over. I really thought I blew my chances at promotion when the Terrence case hit the headlines. I think the brass would have appreciated that it wasn't so public. A lot of heads rolling after that."

"I think they deserved what they got. You don't play by the book you don't get to play. I think it's fair," Mac said.

"Well my dear, not everyone thinks like you," Harm smiled cleverly. "If they had, we'd risk living in a better world."

"God forbid if that ever happened, right?" Mac said with a slight eyeroll.

Harm parked the car. "Looks like we're early."

"We have six minutes and ten seconds," Mac said as she got out of the car.

Harm got out as well. "One of these days I have to figure out how to make that watch stop."

She laughed. "Well, last night you did mess it up a little bit."

He pulled her in for a kiss. "Yeah?"

"Just for a few seconds, then it started working again," she said and turned to the house. "So, this is one of your favorites?"

"I think it has what we want, but it might be too small," Harm said just as a car stopped behind theirs and a man got out.

"Good to see you again, Harm," the realtor offered his hand. "And this must be your wife?"

"Colonel Sarah Rabb, this is Matt Underwood. The guy who's working on finding us a home."

Mac smiled and shook Matt's hand. "Nice to meet you, Matt."

"You too, Sarah," Matt said. He held the key up. "Ready?"

They followed him inside. Mac did see what Harm saw in the house. It was very nice, with a big modern kitchen, a nice living room and a small office downstairs. However, there was only three bedrooms.

"I do like it, but it's too small," Mac said when they walked downstairs again. "And only two bathroom."

"That's what Harm thought too. I'm afraid the other houses are much bigger and in a very different price range," Matt said.

Harm took Mac's hand. "We can swing it, don't worry."

Mac nodded. "Let's see some more houses then."

It wasn't until the fourth house that Mac felt excitement. It was big, with five bedrooms and four bathrooms. The kitchen was big, modern and light. The living room had two parts, one smaller with a nice fireplace. Mac loved the hallway, with lots of space for clothes and shoes, and the laundry room was also very spacious.

"I do love it," Mac said once they had walked through it.

"I knew you would," Harm said. "We could fix a home gym in the basement."

"I have a few more interested in this house. It's a great neighborhood, and walking distance to the best public school in town."

"It's a bit far from work though," Mac pointed out.

"Yeah, but you don't find anything like this any closer," Harm pointed out.

"True," Mac said and looked into his eyes. "I want it."

He laughed softly. "Okay."

"No one has made an offer on the house yet, so you'll be the first," Matt said.

"We'll call you," Harm said and took Mac's hand. "We have a lot to discuss."


	4. Chapter 4

One week later

Waking up alone in a big bed was not something Mac enjoyed. It had been a week since she had been to D.C and she missed her husband more than ever. Thankfully Trish and Frank had decided to stay to help pack the house, so she wouldn't be alone with the kids. She hated to admit that being alone with all the responsibility had taken its toll on her, and having Trish and Frank there to help out really made her feel less alone.

They were only three weeks away from the move. They had the perfect house waiting on them. Harm would get the keys in a week and he would start moving in right away.

Mac got out of bed and looked around the mess that was their bedroom. She was in the middle of sorting and packing and it was chaos. She had taken the day off from work to get some stuff out of the way.

By the time she walked into the kitchen Trish had already gotten the kids ready for school and kindergarten, and arranged breakfast.

"Good morning," Mac smiled and bent down to hug Matthew, then Claire and Nathan.

"No kissing," Nathan said and tried to twist out of her embrace.

Mac ruffled his hair. He was getting so big and independent, and he had proudly announced that he took responsibility of packing his own room for the move.

"Trish, you're spoiling us," Mac said as Trish handed her a cup of coffee.

Trish smiled warmly. "A grandmother's privilege."

Mac was about to sit down when they heard the front door open and shut. "Anyone home?!"

"Harm?" she looked confused as she headed out of the kitchen.

"Dad!" Nathan ran past her and straight into Harm's waiting arms. Claire was close behind, getting a big hug too. Then Matthew jumped into his arms and Harm laughed when Matthew clung to him and refused to let go. "I missed you guys so much."

"What is going on?" Mac asked as she walked into his waiting arms and kissed him deeply.

"I missed you guys, so I decided to come home for the weekend." He finally managed to get Matthew on the ground, and he crouched down to his level. "Have you been a good boy?"

"Yes," Matthew said and laughed.

"Something smells great. Is grandma spoiling you guys?" Harm asked as he stood and hugged his mom. "Good to see you Mom." Then he shook Frank's hand.

"Do we have to go to school?" Nathan asked pleadingly.

Harm laughed. "Yes, but I'm taking you."

"Cool," Nathan said. "And I have a basketball game tomorrow."

"Sounds like we'll have a busy weekend," Harm said and took Mac's hand. "So, do I get breakfast?"

Trish turned to the kitchen. "Follow me."

Harm took the kids to school and kindergarten, then he stopped by his old office to say hi to everyone. When he got home he found Mac in their bedroom sorting through some clothes.

"It's a mess," he said as he looked around. "Mom and Frank went to do some sightseeing."

Mac smiled and walked over to him. "God, I'm so happy that you're here."

He met her with a mind-blowing kiss and soon they were making passionately love. As they were enjoying some quiet time in bed afterwards, Harm noticed that Mac was wiping away tears.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"I miss you, and I hate being away from you," she said and hugged him close.

"I hate it too," he said and wiped away a newly fallen tear from her cheek. "Only three more weeks."

She nodded and smiled. "This is nice, but we really should be packing."

He laughed. "I'm actually tired after the night's flight, so maybe I'm allowed to rest my eyes for just a little while?"

"Sure, you sleep and I'll get something done downstairs. I love you, and it's amazing that you're here," she said and kissed him softly.

"I really needed this trip. I've been having a hard time since you left me on Sunday," he admitted.

"So it's not just me having a hard time?" she started to get out of bed but he held her back.

"I'm glad we decided on letting the kids finish the schoolyear, but it's a struggle for me. I feel like I'm not doing enough to help with the move," he admitted.

"Harm," Mac smiled and kissed him. "It's going to be fine. It's a little hectic right now, but I don't want you to worry about not being here. Your parents are here to help."

"I know, but still…" he smiled and pulled her close. "I just miss you guys."

She relaxed into his embrace. "I know, and we miss you too."

Saturday was spent packing, but they did take a break and went to the beach. Harm loved being back with his family, seeing the kids again made him realize just how lonely he had been by himself. He had become a family man for sure, where his career came first before he married Mac, now he was making sure his family held precedence.

They had finished lunch, and now the kids were running around. Harm lay down on the blanket and propped himself up on an elbow, running his hand up and down Mac's arm. She opened her eyes and smiled.

"You are so beautiful," he said in a soft voice.

She smiled lovingly. "Thank you. I'm glad you're here."

"Me too," he kissed her softly. "Only three weeks left, and we'll be back in Washington, only this time we're married with kids."

"It's been almost six years since we left," she ran her fingers through his short hair. "A lot of memories."

"Yeah," he agreed thoughtfully. "What matters is that we're together now, right?"

"Right," she agreed.

Sunday came too quickly for everyone's liking. After lunch, it was time for Harm to leave and travel back to D.C. It was three sad kids saying goodbye at the house before Mac took Harm to the airport. Harm did his best to get their moods up by talking about how fast the three next weeks would go, without much success. Matthew clung to his Dad.

"Okay, buddy, now I have to go," he hugged Matthew one more time. "I'll call tomorrow, okay?"

Matthew nodded. "Okay."

Harm took Mac's hand and they walked to the car. "I hate this."

Mac offered a knowing look. She was dreading saying goodbye.

One week later

Mac looked around the packed living room and let out a sigh. In two weeks they would be unpacking the same things in their new house. She felt that she was on top of things, most of their things was in boxes, except what they needed to get by the last two weeks of course. The kids had gone from being sad about leaving their friends to actually being excited about the move. They would be closer to grams and was looking forward to spending more weekends in Beallsville.

She yawned and stretched, and decided that she was more than ready for bed. The next day was a school and work day and she knew the next week would be busy. Her phone rang and she smiled.

"Hello handsome."

"God I wish I could see you right now," Harm's voice was seductive.

"That would be nice," she said with longing. "It's so good to hear your voice."

"Guess where I am," he said.

"At home in bed," she suggested as she slumped down on theirs.

"In bed is right, but not at home," he said teasingly.

"Should I be worried?" she asked.

He laughed softly. "I'm actually at Mom and Frank's house. I had to attend that meeting on board the Stennis, regarding rules of engagement in combat zones, and the ship got problems with an engine and had to be towed to San Diego. We docked earlier today."

"Oh, I thought you were scheduled to be back in D.C last night."

"Plans change in the Navy. So here I am until tomorrow. I have a meeting at the RLSO, then I'm headed back to D.C."

"Maybe you could accidentally take the wrong plane and land here tomorrow," she suggested.

"Wish I could, but I have a meeting with SECNAV on Tuesday that I can't miss." He groaned. "I miss you so much. And know that when I see you again, we need a locked room."

She smiled. "Yeah? What do you intend to do with me in there?" she wondered suggestively.

"Well, first, I'm removing all your clothes."

"Yeah, go on," she encouraged him

"Baby, will this be one of those conversations?" he was intrigued now. "In that case, I need to close the blinds so not to give the neighbor a show."

"I'm locking the door," Mac hurried out of bed and locked the bedroom door. "Now my clothes need to go."

"I totally agree honey," Harm said as he got comfortable in bed.

Thursday Morning

Mac loved to listen to the Morning Skype conversation between her husband and kids. It was almost the end of their second to last week in Jacksonville, and everyone was counting down time until they would all be together again.

"Okay kids, time to get ready for school," Mac said after cleaning up after breakfast.

The kids said bye and Mac smiled as she took the iPad. "Soon we'll all be together. "

"I'm counting down the days," he said with longing. "So, any weekend plans?"

"The kids are staying over at Trish and Frank's place tomorrow night. I'm taking the day off to pack most of the kitchen, and to get a few more things organized. On Saturday Jack and Cathy invited us over to barbeque with them."

"That sounds nice," he looked away when a voice interrupted him. "Okay babe, I have to go. I love you. "

"I love you too," she turned the iPad off and put it on the counter, letting out a sigh. "One more week," she mumbled.

The next night, Harm and Mac's house

Mac had just picked up some of her favorite dishes from her favorite Thai restaurant. This was her own night, and she had ordered all the dishes extra spicy, something she never could when the kids were home. She threw the car keys on the kitchen counter and put the bag down before finding a diet coke in the fridge. She sat on a bar stool, flipped on the TV and opened the bag. It wasn't often that she had a whole day to herself, and even though most of the day had been spent packing, she was enjoying the alone time.

"So this is where you're hiding."

She turned abruptly. "Harm?"

"Surprise," he said and smiled widely.

"Oh my God," she hopped off the barstool and jumped into his arms. "What are you doing here?" she asked after kissing him deeply.

"I decided that I wanted a weekend with my family," he kissed her again, pulling her close to him, moving his hands down her back, over her behind and lifted her up.

She wrapped her feet around him, enjoying the feeling of his hand under her dress. She started unbuttoning his shirt, while she trailed kisses down his neck. "Bed," kiss, "room."

He turned them around and walked them out of the kitchen and to the stairs. He almost dropped her on the stairs as his big toe hit the first step with force. "Damn it!" he managed to turn around away from the stairs as his grip on her slipped as the pain in his toe was overwhelming.

She less than elegantly landed on the floor when his hands moved from her backside. Her own hands had been busy with his shirt. "Harm!" she managed to get out as she landed flat on her back.

"Sorry, honey," he sat down on the stairs and rubbed his toe. "Are you okay?"

She burst out laughing and started to stand. He got on his feet and reached for her, helping her up. His mouth found hers as his hands found the sipper of her dress. She pushed his shirt aside and moved her hands up his chest.

They finally managed to get to the bedroom. Clothes flew and sounds of pleasure filled the room, until they lay breathless in their bed.

"I am," she kissed him deeply. "so happy that you're here."

"Me too," he agreed and wrapped his arms around her. "I just couldn't sit alone in D.C for a whole weekend, I had to see you. The weeks are okay, because it's busy, but the weekends are the longest. What did I ever do before I got married and had kids."

Mac laughed softly. "You could go see grams."

"That was my plan actually," he admitted. "I was there the weekend after I moved, and I bought the paint and was ready to go paint last weekend, but I was out at sea longer then expected, and ended up in San Diego for a few days as you remember. This weekend the forecast said rain. I called grams and asked if she minded that I booked a flight and went here instead, and she thought it was a good idea. I had to promise that we drove out one of the first weekends though."

"That sounds good to me," she smiled and kissed him softly. "I can't believe you're actually here. I had mentally prepared on not seeing you until next weekend."

"Well, I come with good news," he kissed her again. "I'm here for the week, so I get to travel with your guys on Friday."

"You're kidding?" she smiled widely. "How did you pull that off?"

"I have a meeting with Captain Nelson on Monday at the RLSO, then I figured I'd put myself to use here until we can all travel to D.C," he smiled and kissed her softly. "I'm sorry I messed up your alone night."

"You are forgiven," she pulled him closer and hugged him. "The night couldn't have been better."

Saturday, Trish and Frank's apartment

Harm hurried out of the car and walked fast to the front door. He was eager to see his kids, and he knew they would be very happy to see him too. He knew it was the right decision to allow them to finish the school year, but it had been a though period for Harm being without them.

"Harm?!" Trish bust out, then hugged him. "What a nice surprise."

"Hi, Mom," Harm had barely let her go when three kids came running toward shim.

"Dad!"

"Hi," he hugged them all at once. "It's so good to see you guys."

Mac stepped up behind them, a huge smile on her face. She loved seeing him with the kids, and she knew he missed them as much as they missed him.

"Now we'll be together until we travel to our new home," Harm told them after they had let him go.

"Really?" Claire took his hand. "That's great. Come see me dive. Grandpa and I have been practicing and now I'm not afraid anymore."

"She's getting really good, Dad," Nathan said.

"That's great," Harm followed them inside and across the room and out the back.

"When did he show up?" Trish wondered as they followed behind.

"Last night," Mac's eyed sparkled with happiness. "We decided to wait until today to come see the kids."

"I'm sure the two of you had a lot to catch up on," Trish teased.

Mac laughed softly. "Something like that."

Later that night

Harm knocked on Nathan's bedroom door and peeked inside. The day had been packed with activities with the kids, they all wanted time with Dad.

"Dad, look at this mess," Nathan looked around the room.

"It's different," Harm stepped into the room.

"I have the boxes marked. See," Nathan pointed.

"You're more organized than Mom," Harm teased.

"Like that's even possible," Nathan said with laughter. "Except from her desk."

"Yeah, that's a mess," Harm smiled. "She says that you've been very helpful while I've been away. That's great."

Nathan shrugged. "I guess."

"I'm proud of you," Harm hugged his son. "I love you, son."

"I love you too, Dad," Nathan held his dad close. "I'm glad you're here."

"Me to," Harm looked at his son. "I know that starting over at a new place is scary. There's so many new things, people to meet. I'm sorry that my job does so that we have to start up all over again. It's been a lot of that for you and Claire; first in London, then here, and now D.C."

"Yeah," Nathan shrugged. "But it's the Navy right?"

Harm detected a slight smile on Nathan's face. "Yeah, it's the Navy," he ruffled Nathan's hair. "Well, your Mom says that we're never moving again."

Nathan smiled. "And what Mom says is the law, right."

Harm laughed softly. "Pretty much."

Thursday night, Harm and Mac's house

The week flew by with all the packing and preparations. Mac had her last day at her duty station the previous day, then the most of this day had been spent making sure the house was empty after the movers had been there. The next morning they would get up early and leave for the airport.

"Are you ready to go?" Harm wondered when he found his wife out on the porch.

She turned. "Yeah."

"My Mom wanted to make sure we wouldn't be late for dinner," he reminded her.

"I'm going to miss this house," Mac let out a sigh. "But I'm kinda looking forward to D.C."

"Mixed feelings," Harm put his arms around her. "It's the place we first met," he kissed her softly. "And spent nine years dancing around a relationship," he added teasingly.

She smirked. "Yeah, but it's also the place where we fell in love."

"Yeah," he kissed her again. "Ready for a new chapter?"

"I am," she smiled sweetly. "I love you."

"I love you too," he kissed her softly. "Come on, let's get going," he released her and held his hand out.

"I'm right behind you," she took his outstretched hand.


End file.
